Tag: Mystery

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Movie Review

The Manifestation (2024) Movie Review

The Manifestation – Movie Review

Stephen turns to a controversial figure for help, but gambling with his own money comes with a darker agenda in The Manifestation.

Director: Geert Heetebrij

Writer: Geert Heetebrij (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: When a desperate day trader manifests a twin version of his wife to help him win trades, he soon discovers she may have a much darker agenda.

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Manifestation starts as a day trader Stephen (Kesy) finds his future in doubt. He turns to a controversial figure Michael (Ally) for advice, but his wife Roni (Lavi) doesn’t want him to fall for the same mistakes. However, he decides to risk their own money on his next gamble.

Even though it looks like a major success, it comes at a price that Stephen wasn’t prepared for. However, to succeed, he creates a woman Vronkia (Lavi) to give him the answers he wants to receive from his wife. It leaves him needing to balance his life as it starts to consume him.

Verdict on The Manifestation

The Manifestation is a mystery thriller following a day trader who creates a twin of his wife in his mind. However, she starts taking control of his life, leading to him question his reality. He faces a race against time to learn the truth and get his life back.

This is a thriller which dives into the dangers of day trading and shows how easily someone can lose themselves. It shows how people hear what they want and will do anything to make that happen. However, it can get lost in the shuffle of the bigger picture, which at times overcomplicates the story being told. In the end, it doesn’t get as intense as it imagines, and leaves too many questions unanswered.

Where to Watch

The Manifestation (VOD Release 3/19/24)

Final Thoughts – The Manifestation presents an interesting concept but struggles to land the intensity.

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Movie Review

Home for Rent (2023) Movie Review

Home for Rent – Movie Review

A terror-filled experience awaits in Home for Rent starring Nittha Jirayungturn and Penpak Sirikul. terror inspired by true events

Director: Sophon Sakdaphisit

Writer: Tanida Hantaweewatana, Sophon Sakdaphisit (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Inspired by terrifying true events. The new tenants of a house start terrorizing the owners of the place they rent, looking for their next prey to sacrifice.

Runtime: 2 Hours 4 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Home for Rent starts when Ning (Jirayungurn) convinces her husband Kwin (Kanarot) to rent their home. This is because their apartment keeps getting trashed by tenants, and they decide to move into that apartment. However, soon after renting out their house, Ning starts to hear disturbing stories about the new tenants.

When Ning starts seeing strange figures around her home and more frighteningly around her daughter Ing. She sets out to learn more about her new tenants before uncovering a shocking secret.

Verdict on Home for Rent

Home for Rent is a horror mystery following a couple who rent out their home. However, the new tenants turn their lives into a nightmare, as they find themselves targeted by a cult. Now, it becomes a battle to save their child from the spirits released.

This is a creepy horror that is told unusually and brings to life a terrifying concept. While it starts with a steadily increasing horror, it takes a dramatic turn which leaves you shocked. However, despite good horror moments, the movie can drag on longer than it needs to. Even if some of the horror moments are the more frightening ones you will see this year.

Where to Watch

Available on Netflix now.

Final Thoughts – Home for Rent is filled with genuine scares from start to finish.

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Movie Review

A Haunting in Venice (2023) Movie Review

A Haunting in Venice – Movie Review

Haunting in Venice

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Writer: Michael Green (Screenplay)

Writer: Agatha Christie (Novel)

Cast

Plot: In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: A Haunting in Venice starts when Hercule Poirot (Branagh) gets pushed into a new case by author Ariadne Oliver (Fey). She has been writing about his cases but with him stepping away from the cases, her books have dried up.

Poirot is invited to attend a séance from Mrs Reynolds (Yeoh) one Ariadne hasn’t been able to debunk. The séance involves trying to contact Rowena Drake’s (Reilly) daughter. However, a new murder leads to Hercule stepping out of retirement to solve the case.

Verdict on A Haunting in Venice

A Haunting in Venice is a murder mystery following Hercule Poirot as he looks to debunk a medium. However, he ends up in the middle of another murder mystery where his own senses start to turn on him.

This is the latest of the legendary detective’s case to solve and this time it dives into more horror. It continues to show us his amazing ability to solve crimes and this one offers plenty of mystery about it. However, adding an element of mystery from his own problems after a bump to the head, points him in a position of supernatural events, he had never believed in. This keeps us guessing everything and will leave you shocked by the end.

Final Thoughts – A Haunting in Venice offers us the biggest mystery yet.

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Movie Review

Wolf (2021) Movie Review

Wolf – ABC Film Challenge – Mystery – W – Wolf – Movie Review

Wolf

Director: Nathalie Biancheri

Writer: Nathalie Biancheri (Screenplay)

Cast

  • George MacKay (1917)
  • Lily-Rose Depp (Tusk)
  • Eileen Walsh (The Magdalene Sisters)
  • Paddy Considine (Dead Man’s Shoes)

Plot: A high-concept arthouse drama about a boy who believes he is a wolf.

Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Wolf starts when Jacob (MacKay) is sent to a special hospital that helps humans who believe they are animals. Jacob believes he is a wolf and gets surrounded by other patients including Wildcat (Depp), Parrott (Petticrew) Horse, German Shepherd and Duck.

Dr Angeli (Walsh) tries to help the patients in a more rational way, while The Zookeeper (Considine) uses more aggressive manners. Jacob struggles to accept what is wanted from him, leading to the Zookeeper pushing him to extreme limits.

Verdict on Wolf

Wolf is a strange mystery thriller following a group of patients who believe they are different animals. It dives into the two different methods being used to try and help the patients deal with the psychological problems they are going through.

This is a movie that deals with psychological problems people can have, showing how people develop a mindset that they are an animal. It takes a look at how this could be treated and how one method will cause more problems. This seems to put a big message on what needs to be done and how cruelly it is being addressed.

The performances are strong, even if the film comes off weird for the most part. Playing into the arthouse style it wants to achieve.

Final Thoughts – Wolf is a strange and weird arthouse movie.

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Movie Review

Sometimes Always Never (2018) Movie Review

Sometimes Always Never – ABC Film Challenge – Mystery – S – Sometimes Always Never – Movie Review

Sometimes Always Never

Director: Carl Hunter

Writer: Frank Cottrell Boyce (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A detective fantasy/family drama where a love of words helps a father reconnect with a missing son.

Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Sometimes Always Never starts when Alan (Nighy) looks to catch up with his son Peter (Riley). The pair search for answers about their own lost family member. Alan believes his lost son has been playing online scrabble games with him. However, Peter has his own problems at home, raising his own teenage son Jack (Healy).

As the two start getting closer, Alan sees his obsession starting to take over more than anything else before. Causing bigger problems between Peter, who has grown to accept he won’t see his brother again.

Verdict on Sometimes Always Never

Sometimes Always Never is a mystery drama following an estranged father-son relationship. It follows the two trying to reconnect after years as a potential new clue to a missing family member appears. This sends them down a path of memories of uncertainty they can never return from.

The movie gets to tackle grief in a different way, showing how a father has seen his whole life spiral out of control because of an answer he might never get. It shows the hole left in somebody if a family member vanishes without any resolution. Be it from starting their own life or something way worse. On the other hand, it shows us how a brother started his own family and tries to support the father he still has. Billy Night is amazing in the leading role, bringing us a desperate yet broken figure.

Final Thoughts – Sometimes Always Never is a great vision of what grief does to someone.

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Movie Review

Inland Empire (2006) Movie Review

Inland Empire – ABC Film Challenge – Mystery – I – Inland Empire – Movie Review

Inland Empire

Director: David Lynch

Writer: David Lynch (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Laura Dern (Jurassic Park)
  • Jeremy Irons (Die Hard with a Vengeance)
  • Justin Theroux (Mulholland Drive)
  • Harry Dean Stanton (Alien)

Plot: As an actress begins to adopt the persona of her character in a film, her world becomes nightmarish and surreal.

Runtime: 3 Hours

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Inland Empire starts as Nikki Grace (Dern) gets a starring role in Kingsley Stewart’s (Irons) latest movie. Nikki is starring opposite Devon Berk (Theroux) an actor she starts to fall in love with. As the production continues, Nikki sees her life reflect the script.

This leads her to question her own reality and look into the history of the original movie. One that was never completed in Poland.

Verdict on Inland Empire

Inland Empire is a fantasy mystery that comes off very confusing. It starts out simple enough with an audition and preparation before a movie is made. However, it takes a strange turn that is difficult to explain at the best of times.

David Lynch has always been a director that likes to test his audience and make them go through the strangest experiences. This is no different, in fact, this may well be his strangest of all. It becomes very difficult to follow and the 3-hour runtime doesn’t help this at all.

Final Thoughts – Inland Empire is too long, too complicated and not as smart as most of Lynch’s movies.

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Movie Review

Horse Girl (2020) Movie Review

Horse Girl – ABC Film Challenge – Mystery – H – Horse Girl – Movie Review

Horse Girl

Director: Jeff Baena

Writer: Jeff Baena, Alison Brie (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Sarah, a socially isolated woman with a fondness for arts and crafts, horses, and supernatural crime shows finds her increasingly lucid dreams trickling into her waking life.

Runtime: 1 Hour 43 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Horse Girl starts as we meet Sarah (Brie) an ordinary woman who works in a craft store. She spends her free time watching her old horse and catching up on her favourite TV show.

However, Sarah’s life takes a strange turn when she starts having strange dreams. She starts believing she is being abducted by aliens and cloned. However, his own mental health starts to catch up with her as the events increase.

Verdict on Horse Girl

Horse Girl is a mystery thriller following a lonely woman who starts to see her mental health catching up with her. She starts believing she is being abducted by aliens and sets out to learn the truth. However, the few people in her life see a more concerned series of events in her actions.

This is a strange movie, it starts by showing the ordinary life that feels routine. Once the strange dream happens it gets to take us into a strange mystery. We see how her own paranoia leads the investigation to go down a confusing series of events. It does keep everything well balanced between her paranoia and mental health. This helps offer a discussion of both sides before we lead to a conclusion.

Final Thoughts – Horse Girl is a strange journey covered in mystery.

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Movie Review

Twisted Vines (2023) Movie Review

Twisted Vines – Movie Review 

Twisted Vines

Director: Jihane Mrad Balaa

Writer: Corinne Sbeih, Tom Stohlgren (Screenplay)

Cast

 Plot: A wine country wedding is interrupted by the sheriff who comes out to warn the guests about a nearby fire, but ends up staying to solve an unexpected murder that turns all the guests into suspects.  

Runtime: 1 Hour 24 Minutes  

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review 

Story: Twisted Vines starts on the eve of Evan’s (Parks) wedding. His parents Sheryl (Fox) and Branson (Pare) arrive to meet his wife to be Mandy. As the families get to meet and mingle, the vineyard prepares for the big day.

When the big day comes, the wedding goes down. However, a fire has been spreading in the local area, causing the guests to become trapped in the vineyard. With the guests trapped, a more disturbing event happens, Mandy is found dead. This leads to Sheriff Windsome (Borello) needing to investigate to figure out who is the murderer.  

Verdict on Twisted Vines

Twisted Vines is a murder mystery thriller. It follows a wedding party that becomes trapped at a vineyard by a fire, only for the guests to start to get killed off. A local Sheriff must investigate to figure out who the murderer really is.

This is a movie that looks to capitalize on the Knives Out and Glass Onion’s success. It has an interesting and complex murder mystery and brings together a host of combative characters. This keeps you guessing as we wait to see what the truth is. Everyone at the wedding party could be a suspect and we are left guessing right up to the reveal who the killer is. The performances are great from the whole cast, who bring their characters to life. this could easily be the beginning of a series of adventures between some of the characters.

 Final Thoughts – Twisted Vines is a fun murder mystery drama.

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Movie Review

Spinning Man (2018) Movie Review

Spinning Man – ABC Film Challenge – Mystery – E (Evan) – Spinning Man – Movie Review

Spinning Man

Director: Simon Kaijser

Writer: Matthew Aldrich (Screenplay)

Writer: George Harrar (Book)

Cast

Plot: A happily married professor, known for having many affairs with students, becomes the prime suspect when a young woman has gone missing.

Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Spinning Man starts when a happily married professor Evan Birch (Pearce) finds himself becoming the main suspect in Detective Malloy’s (Brosnan) investigation. A young woman has gone missing and the clues start to point towards Evan. He is known for having affairs with his college students, a fact he keeps secret from his family.

As the case starts to become more sensitive, Evan looks like he is becoming the prime suspect. However, he claims to have nothing to do with it, his actions start to suggest otherwise. Along with his last affair starting to come back to haunt him.

Verdict on Spinning Man

Spinning Man is a mystery thriller following an investigation into a missing young woman. We get to follow this from the point of view of a prime suspect, instead of a detective hunting down clues. This gets to expose his personal life creating a bigger problem in his family life.

The movie does a great job of spinning the investigation around from the prime suspect point of view. We have seen plenty of times of detectives trying to solve the case. Or even a relative searching for answers in their own investigation. This highlights the strain created on a family when things start getting exposed, ruining what was once special in their family. The performances in the movie are strong with Guy Pearce and Pierce Brosnan getting caught in a cat-n-mouse-styled game.

Final Thoughts –Spinning Man is a tense mystery thriller that keeps us guessing.